One of the best hacks for productivity I have ever discovered was the recurring to-do list. I don’t care what tool you use (I use Google Tasks). Having all the things listed out on my computer every day is awesome!

I wake up, mix up my pre-workout, and get to work. I can be sick, mentally out of it, or just not in a good mood, and my to-do list is there, telling me what I need to do today. It is the daily doing of things that makes such a huge difference. You still have to be motivated to do these things.

From time-to-time, I’ll do an inventory of all the things I’m doing every day and revisit my motivation to do them. Some things become tiresome. This feeling passes once I see how close I am to a milestone or achieving a goal. For example, I tasked myself with reading 48 books this year. I’m at 45! This is just one goal I am talking about and this leads me to my second productivity hack—consistent, small efforts. If you want to read a lot of books, read one chapter a day. If you want to get into good shape, workout every day, even if it’s only a few pushups. It’s the little things we do consistently that contribute most to our accomplishments.

That being said, life will happen. We get sick. Family issues will crop up. We do something that will disrupt our programmed day. You run your schedule, your schedule does not run you. What if a childhood friend comes to town and wants to do something? Blow off your day and hang out with your friend. What if you’re not feeling well? Stay in bed and take care of yourself.

Another productivity hack I have found to be really helpful is the “do nothing day”. My do nothing day is on Sunday. Sunday is the day I do not follow a schedule or set any expectation for myself, other than sleeping in, getting in some good movies, playing some games, and enjoying myself. It is the one day I do what I want. This makes Monday so much easier to execute. I am totally rested and ready to attack the week.

What productivity hacks do you use to accomplish your goals? Reply in the comments below.